28th Friday in Ordinary Time, Feast of St Luke, October 18, 2024
2 Tm 4:10-17b; Ps 145:10-13b, 17-18; Lk 10:1-9
Some friends of mine were recently talking about being bold for Christ. Especially during this tumultuous time as we approach our general election. It seems everywhere you turn; someone is speaking badly about someone else, and then the insults are returned. What has happened to our civility? Unfortunately, the loss of right speech has been going on for a long time. St. Paul speaks of Alexander, the coppersmith, doing him harm. Scholars say it was most likely slander and false accusations against St. Paul. So many that the Gentiles began to believe Alexander over St. Paul; sort of sounds like today, doesn’t it? St. Paul’s response was perfect, “The Lord will repay him for his deeds.” In other words, St. Paul wasn’t going to judge; he was just going to move on and let God take care of Alexander. St. Paul still felt abandoned and called for others to help him, but ultimately he trusted in the Lord to give him strength, and he persevered.
How often are we in that situation? If I speak out, will I be ostracized? I cannot tell you how many times I have seen it on social media or in the news, the truth tends to be squashed, and the tellers of the truth are labeled as hypocrites or bigots. Yet, we must stand firm and still proclaim the truth.
Going back to the discussion with my friends, we all agreed that we must continue to speak up and tell the truth. We must not worry about all the Alexanders out there wanting to speak ill of us. That is their problem, they will answer for their persecutions of us to God. In the meantime, we need to go out and speak the truth.
Jesus sent out the 72 to go out and preach, He knew they would be persecuted and laughed at. But He sent them anyway. “I am sending you like lambs to the wolves.” And make sure you proclaim, “The kingdom of God is at hand for you.”
St. Luke, whose feast day we celebrate today, was one of those 72 who went out. St. Luke knew what they would encounter and went anyway. He joined St. Paul and after St. Paul was persecuted, he stayed with him until the end. In fact, many of Paul’s writings, especially those while he was in jail, were written down by St. Luke. If it wasn’t for Luke, we would not have much of the New Testament. Through St. Luke’s willingness to stay by St. Paul, the documentation of Jesus’s mission and the early Church was preserved. It is believed that St. Luke was martyred for his preaching in Greece, where he returned after St. Paul’s own martyrdom. However, that has never been proven and it is believed he lived into his mid 80’s.
As we reflect on today’s readings and St. Luke’s life, it is worthwhile to note that being a Christian is not easy. We will be mocked and ridiculed, but we still need to preach the truth. It is time we became “one of the 72,” and go out amongst the wolves; when you do so, have no fear, for God will be with you.
Saint James Catholic Church 